Welcome to Retro Renovation® — your regular dose of mid century and vintage renovation and decorating resources… design inspiration… fun finds… and an archive of stories from an enthusiastic community of people all interested in cherishing their mid century and older homes.
Our focus here, first and foremost, is to help you find the products and sources you need to help remodel, renovate and decorate your house in authentic mid century style. We feature some sources for pre-war and post-modern homes as well. We’re here to help you get the job done — doing the research so you don’t have to.
Note: After 15 years — 3,000 stories! — this site has entered a new stage. Today, my focus is working to keep existing resource stories up to date so the site remains a solid reference. And, I want to continue to improve the site as an historical reference around things like steel kitchen cabinets, a longtime passion. To make time, I don’t blog as much, and comments are closed.
How can you make the most of the blog and its archive of 3,000+ stories about resources & inspiration:
- Dive into all our categories (in the navigation along the top of the page) and you will see, we have lots of research into all the products you might need to remodel and decorate. Along the way, we have lotsa other fun, too — always showing great gratitude and respect for the houses — and their owners — who came before us.
- And, important for anyone taking on an older home:
Renovating, remodeling and living in our midcentury and vintage homes can be gratifying, but please always remember, there can be safety and environmental hazards in the surfaces, layers, materials and products in our homes. Anything old, even New Old Stock, that you buy also may have issues. We all care very much about managing safety and environmental issues properly, so when moving into a home … when undertaking cleaning, repair, remodeling or restoration projects … or when adding old materials (salvaged, used, new old stock, etc.)… be sure to get with your own properly licensed professionals to determine what you are dealing with/working with so that you can make informed decisions how to handle, become familiar with and use recommended best practices, and also learn about the proper disposal of debris, etc. Read more: See our Be Safe / Renovate Safe page … the EPA hosts a website on lead paint in the home and a website on asbestos in the home, etc. Consult professionals regarding these materials, and also about the proper disposal of debris, etc.
<– I’m Pam Kueber. That’s me with my crazy wallpaper office … that’s my kitchen above — and this my blog, oh I luv it so. Doing all the research to find products to backdate my 1951 colonial-ranch house in Lenox, Mass., is what got me into this online escapade. In the course of my endless hunt to find products and design ideas sympathetic to my house’s undeniable mid-century bones, I got…. obsessed… I learned a lot… and I figured, why not share all my finds with other folks undertaking the same journey. And now – you have arrived!
This blog has lots about *modest, mid-century, middle-class* homes — ranches, Capes, Colonials, split-levels, contemporaries, bungalows. I also write about sleek *mid-century modern homes*… I love them all, but admit that I tend to worry more about the modest homes (themselves full of charm) being at more serious risk of being gutted, with regrets to follow later. Interestingly, both mid-century modern and mid-century modest homes shared many of the same technological features and design cues (like pink bathrooms) inside. For further info see my Mid-Century Modest Manifesto and my micro-site SaveThePinkBathrooms.com.
What’s covered here? Well: The design aesthetic of retro interiors, exteriors, culture, people, steel kitchen cabinets, colors, pink kitchens, pink bathrooms, hudee rings, pecky cypress, illustrations with people playing accordians, wallpaper, pinch pleat curtains, mint-in-box items — and readers’ fabulous jewel box houses, too. Get ready to be sucked into the retro vortex.
More info:
Above: As featured in the New York Times — yup, read all about our escapades in this 2,200-word feature story that appeared on p.1 of the Home & Garden section on Aug. 18, 2011.
Fast forward 10 years and another New York Times story called me “…the godmother of midcentury kitchens and baths, steering a new generation of homeowners to the four-inch square tiles that dominated homes for decades.” teehee
Oh, and here’s me showing off one of my office remodel. My friend Denise and I pasted about 200 squares of vintage wallpaper on the four walls, creating a crazy patchwork quilt (note: there is method in this madness) of 18 different designs of wallpaper. We celebrated by getting all Love American Style Gothic with the photo.
Hey, see me talkin’ about Mid Century Modest in this etsy.com video:
Press Coverage
2018 … I kinda stopped keeping track
2017
- Wall Street Journal: Big story on time capsule houses. I am the “subject matter expert.”
- Washington Post: Hey, we got a shout out!
2015-2016…
- HGTV.com: In Defense of Pink Bathrooms — A Q&A with me
- Chronicle TV: Big story on my house and my kitchen and the Retro Renovation Revolution!
- Washington Post: The TV-watching public’s long love affair with tray tables
- The Times of London: Something is happening in smart bathrooms — Designers say pink is back after a long absence.
- WFMJ-TV: Effort to Bring Back 1948 Youngstown steel kitchen cabinets
- Ummm: I got out of the habit of updating press coverage of the blog…. I’ll work on it again at some point… maybe.
2014
- New York Times: “When Blogging Becomes a Slog” (but not for me — I am the wise old owl)
- Huffington Post: The 10 Best Renovation Websites for Living out your Dream Home Fantasies.
- Der Standard newspaper profiled the blog. It was in German, so I’m not sure what it said. But I asked on Facebook, and a reader told me it said that, “You are now as loved as David Hasselhof in Germany.”
2013
- Fixing to Die: Retro Renovation® and a reader remodel featured on the blog inspired the setting and story line for Elaine Viets’ “restoration comedy” murder mystery, Fixing to Die. The book debuted #9 on the Barnes & Noble paperback list.
- Yankee Magazine: Six-page story in Sept./Oct. issue — 1.7 million readers! — about the blog and my house. “Fifties and Fabulous.”
- Globe and Mail: Loud and proud 1970s chalet
- Columbus Post-Dispatch: Back to the bones: Restoring ’50s homes
- California Home + Design: Celebrating Midcentury Modest
2012
- Ft. Lauderdale Magazine: Midcentury Modern Architecture Makes a Comeback
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Vintage Vibe
- Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator: Kitchens Cook Down Memory Lane
- msn.com: What we can learn from 1970s homess
- The Daily Mail (London) online: Give your Home the Mad Men Look! How one blogger inspires retro renovating tips.
- Blog Aids in Renovation of ‘Mid-Century Modest’ Homes. Nationally syndicated story appeared in newspapers including:
- Akron Beacon Journal
- Seattle Times
- Miami Herald
- Detroit Free Press (twice!)
- Palm Springs Desert Sun
- San Antonio Express
- Baltimore Sun
- Kansas City Star
- Toledo Blade
- Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
- Ogden (UT) Standard-Examiner
- canada.com
- …and more.
Summer 2011
- New York Times 2,200-word profile about Retro Renovation and its readers: Restoring the Retro House
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch — Preserve the Pink (bathroom)
- msn.com — New Respect for the Ranch House
- Portland (Oregon) Monthly Magazine Online — Sofa Shopping
- The Oregonian/Oregon Live — The Retro Queen
Feb 2011
Jan 2011
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Bathrooms Still In the Pink
- Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Name that Home Fad
December 2010
October 2010
- AP interviews Pam for story, Used Building Materials a Hit Among Home Owners, that runs in news outlets nationwide.
August 2010
- Arizona Daily Star: That 50s Tile with Style
- Home is a Four-Letter Word: Penny Pinching with the Stars
- Home is a Four-Letter Word: Lovin’ the 50s
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
- Etsy.com video profile.
January 2010
- Knoxville News – Maribeth’s 1970s retro renovation
- Finalist and 4th place winner in Apartment Therapy’s annual contest to name the best home design blog of 2009
June 2009
April 2009
March 2009
- Eugene, Oregon Register-Guard on retro revival and home show talks
- Our tour of the St. Louis 1995 time capsule home covered by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Desert Living Magazine
Dec. 3, 2008
- Pam talks with the National Kitchen & Bath Association about retro kitchen design popularity
Sept. 29, 2008
March 2008
- Pam’s kitchen on Apartment Therapy
Winter 2008
Fall 2007
November 8, 2007 — News Release, PRWeb
Thanks and Credits: Many thanks to the many folks who have helped, and continue to help, make this blog possible. Including:
- The rockin’ readers who help feed the blog day in and day out with their tips and projects!
- All the advertisers who make doing this work fulltime possible.
- Margaret Roach, for all your support. AwayToGarden.com, Margaret Roach Media.
- Brad and all the Webdev and Maintainn team, for keeping the online bogeybots at bay. WebDevStudios.
- Erica Berger, for making me look good. Erica Berger Photography.
- Kit Latham, for helping me get into the dot.com world. KitLatham.com.
- Suzy Massey, for design support. PhoenixMassey Studio.
- WordPress, for a great blogging platform that has made it possible for so many new voices to find their communities. wordpress.com
sandy burnell says
We are starting a bungalow kitchen remodel (not full RESTORATION) on a 1926 Craftsman- possible Sears kit home. Going with creamy, yellow painted cabinets and green countertops. Looking for inspirational pictures that are not all BROWN- or ginko leaf curtains!!!- Sandy and Will
pam kueber says
Hi Sandy, I’ve been trying to beef up my prewar research. You can start here: https://retrorenovation.com/category/by-decade/1920s-1930s/ and here: https://retrorenovation.com/2009/02/27/create-a-sweet-pre-war-bungalow-kitchen/ and even here: https://retrorenovation.com/galleries/1940s-kitchens/ and maybe here:https://retrorenovation.com/2009/03/02/where-to-find-vintage-style-barkcloth-full-swing-textiles-is-a-new-player-in-retail/
Ruth says
I am looking for a how to paint without removing Lyon metal cabinets. they have been in my kitchen for the 20 years that we have owned our home and really need a face lift.
pam kueber says
Ruth, this is not a DIY site, but check out my category Kitchens/Steel Kitchen Cabinets — there are several examples of readers sharing their experiences. Before messing with your cabinets – be sure to consult with pro’s regarding environmental and safety issues; for example, there may be lead in the old paint…. Good luck.
christi Harris says
Incredible kitchen, I am so jealous!!!!!!
Diane Bush says
For anyone traveling out to Las Vegas over the holidays, they may want to stop by the Clark County Museum (on the way to Boulder Dam) to see our current exhibit, DomesticTechnology: making housework easier. There are gadgets, innovations and inventions spanning the last 150 years, but the best part are the vintage TV commercials and magazine ads from the 50’s and 60’s. Admission is $1.00-$1.50, and we are open daily from 9-4:30pm, except Thanksgiving, Xmas, and New year’s day!
Jennifer Pickard says
My husband and I have come across a vintage Fridgidair Flair double oven stove. It has been stored in a basement for 30 years and appears to be in perfect condition. Upon trying to remove the stove, two good sized men couldn’t budge it. Does anyone know how heavy this is and if the top comes off? Has anyone else had the same problem? My husband insists that it is heavier then a Volkswagon!
norma says
Hello, we just bought a house and we have the 1959 American Standard sink and vanity. the thing is, my husband wants to “modernize” the bathroom and I really like the sink but it’s cracked (outlined like the size of a quarter). If I were to professionally reglaze it will it lose it’s true beauty? Thank you for your time.
michael chalmers says
Pam, thanks for your site, I love it! Two years ago, I purchased a post-war (1951) traditional home when I relocated to a new city. This is my third home renovation in the past two decades. The first two were a sinch for me, but I’m having the hardest time with this house. First of all, I couldn’t bring myself to “modernize” this house with today’s styles because the house and neighborhood just seem to want to stay true to the period. (I actually found the original bill of sale with a breakdown of costs and the cancelled check from the home’s initial purchase.) Fortunately the original bathroom fixtures are all in pristine condition. The original kitchen cabinets are also still intact., though the doors and counter-tops were updated in the past. My trouble is that I just don’t know this period very well. Unfortunately those “I Love Lucy” re-runs are in black and white, so I don’t have a good sense of the colors of the period. It’s the colors and details that I’m struggling with. I don’t want to be too literal with the design (can’t do big florals), but I definitely want it to have that period feel. Thanks for the information and the more pictures the better.
Leslie says
Hi Pam,
I have the exact same fan in my kitchen and bathroom in my 1958 home. I have been looking for the original cover plate for it, for the one in the bathroom. Previous owners threw the original away and put a cheap plastic one over the vent. Did you find yours when doing the restoration?
pam kueber says
Leslie, my kitchen exhaust fan is actually new. However, Nutone no longer makes the brushed steel cover. Try R&I Distribution, maybe they have one for you. Otherwise, use the navigation on the blog to get to Kitchens/Accessories (I think) for my other posts on kitchen exhaust fans.
Linda says
Hey Pam love your site i thought i had a 1950 ish house but the hardwear looks like the 60 from what i saw no your list of things. all of the cabent doors are from when the house was bulit the people befroe us did some revamping its a ranch style with lots and lots of space. anyway im glad somone else besides me loves the time in history.
pam kueber says
woah. all new? or vintage cabinets + new other stuff?